Question
Updated on
16 Jun 2018
- English (UK)
- Simplified Chinese (China) Near fluent
- Thai
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English (US)
Question about English (US)
What is the difference between want and need ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between want and need ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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- English (US)
- Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong)
need is something that you must have and want is when that thing isn't something that you must have to survive
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- English (US)
Examples:
- I want cake.
- I need to sleep.
You don’t need the cake, but you need to sleep. However, you can also say ‘I want to sleep’ and ‘I need food’.
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- French (France)
Want c’est vouloir alors que Need exprime le besoin
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Deleted user
- English (US)
Need doesn't have to be for survival only. It can also suggest a requirement.
You need a ticket to see the movie.
I need more information in order to make a decision.
Highly-rated answerer
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- English (US)
- English (UK)
- English (US)
- French (Canada)
Want is something that is a desire and not a thing that you can't live without.
A need is something that you'll die without
example: A want a dog, but I need water in order to survive.
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- Arabic
@ElizabethMim
Anothet related example
- I want cake
- I need to have some cake
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- Vietnamese
Deleted user
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- Indonesian
- English (US) Near fluent
Want : for something you admire
Ex : i want that boy kiss me
Need : for something necessary
Ex : i need that job
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- Arabic Near fluent
- French (France)
i need c'est J'ai besoin
i want c'est je veux
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- English (US)
Want is something you don't need to survive, whereas a need you do. For example, I need to eat food, and I want a new cd. You need the food to survive, but you do not need the new CD.
Survive also doesn't just mean living, you could need someone's help on a project to get a good grade or keep your job. But you could also want someone's help on a project because they know a lot about the subject or they are really good at it.
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